Skip to main content

Story: Voluntary welfare organisations

Christchurch women's refuge founders, 1973

Image
Christchurch women's refuge founders, 1973

Three of the founders of the Christchurch Women's Refuge, (from left) Jo Crowley, Diane Shannon and Rosemary Howard, sit on the porch of the first refuge house in 1973, the year it was established. New Zealand refuges were set up by feminists to provide emergency accommodation, advice and assistance for women escaping violent men. Unlike traditional welfare organisations, they aimed to empower the victims and change attitudes towards domestic violence.

Using this item

Private collection

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Margaret Tennant, Voluntary welfare organisations – Second World War and beyond, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/29064/christchurch-womens-refuge-founders-1973 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Margaret Tennant, published 24 February 2011.